A FINE RECORD.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 20828, 21 September 1929, Page 3

A FINE RECORD.

BRITAIN’S LIFEBOATS. ■ -A-ccoirdlnff to its annual report, just issued, O S was, tor the Royal National inteboat Institution, a year “of splendid achmvemCTt, overshadowed by one tragic disaster. The hfeboatmen rescued 591 lives trom shipwreck, the largest number in one year s:nee 1923, but the whole of the Bye Harbour lifeboat crew of 17 men was lost on service. During the year there were 323 launches, and of the 501 lives rescued 400 were rescued by lifeboats and the remainder by short boats and in other i tot ‘} l , of 52 boats was saved or helped to safety. As in previous years, t c e n ra -^°i rity nf llves rescued were those of British seamen and fishermen, but the two principal services of the year were to foreign vessels Altogether 15 foreign 1 1° , different nationalities lc pot ’ hves being rescued from ~ lc . institution awarded pensions to the widows and dependents of the Eye v OTI I*’ lo basis of its pension scheme of 1017. whereby they are treated in the same way as the widows and dependants t - c,1 ’ I 'espondin K rank in the Naval. Military, and Air forces of tho Crown who. may be ciliod in action, ihc coxswain ranks as a chief petty officer or colour-sergeant, the second coxswain as a first-class potty officer or sergeant, the bowman ns a second-class pettv officer or corporal, and the Hfeboatmen as seamen or privates. , _ Discussing the relative merits of selfrighting and non«cl£-righting lifeboats, the report states that, broadly speaking, the experience 'of the institution shows that with largo lifeboats, intended to go well out to sea, whether sailing or motor, it is better to set aside the scK-righting , ai 'd aim at greater buoyancy, stability, and speed. At. present rather more than half of the institution's fleet are self-righting boats, but as the pulling and sailing lifeboats are replaced by motor lifeboats, the number with the self-righting principle is steadily growing less. Of the institutions 70 motor lifeboats at tho end of the year, 21 wore self-righting boats. Ur the 14 motor lifeboats under construction only two were self-righting. rho report points out that it is perhaps P ot 1 .5™ eni , 11 . v ,, appreciated that all the institutions s lifeboats aro designed to be unbankable